Before and After (1996)

Another butt-number in a season of long-sits. Director Barbet
Schroeder (KISS OF DEATH, REVERSAL OF FORTUNE) adapts the Rosellen
Brown best seller to sluggish, somber effect. As a soap opera--
did small-town rich-kid Eddie Furlong really kill his girlfriend?--
it's hardly compelling; as a morality play-- what happens when
parents try to shield their kids from the consequences of inap-
propriate behavior-- it's a mess. Even less appealing is Alfred
Molina's character, a defense lawyer whose ethics are as a scary as
the dye job he wears. This crap belongs on television. (Rated
"R"/108 min.)
Grade: C-
Copyright 1996 by Michael J. Legeros